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Make this healthy, classic Indian Spinach & Chicken Curry recipe (known as Chicken Saag) at home with little effort. The warm, rich flavors will keep you coming back for more! 248 calories and 5 Weight Watcher Freestyle SP Thank you to Gourmet Garden for helping me share this recipe with you.

It's time to kick off Week 2 of the Healthy New Year 6-Week Challenge that I'm hosting with Liz of The Lemon Bowl! There are over 900 of you who have accepted the challenge and are sharing your successes, challenges and questions on the challenge Facebook group. Come on over! It's not too late to join.

Last week we focused on Boosting Protein at Breakfast to Fuel Your Day.

And now, it's time to introduce the challenge for Week 2.

THIS WEEK'S GOAL IS...EXPLORE ETHNIC CUISINES!

So, what do we mean by that?

One of the most common misconceptions about healthy eating is that it's often boring or lacking in flavor. Au contraire, my healthy eaters! We're all creatures of habit and tend to stick with things that make us feel comfortable, recipes and flavor profiles included. What Liz and I are challenging you to do is to step outside of your culinary box and play around with different herbs, spices and even techniques. Keep your meals interesting!

Growing up in Vancouver, Canada, I was exposed to a very multi-cultural restaurant scene. Indian, Chinese, Korean, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Thai...you name it, we ate it. Except for Mexican food - Vancouver is sorely lacking in Mexican restaurants! To this day, cooking dishes with international flavors is what gets me really excited.

Does that mean that we cook with hard-to-find spices or unpronounceable ingredients? Nope. Many of the ingredients listed in many of the ethnic-inspired recipes on my blog can be found in most well-stocked grocery stores. Some of my family's favorites are Greek Turkey, Rice & Feta Casserole, Rice Noodles with Chicken & Vegetables (sub in any vegetables you prefer) and Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry.

If you would like to start cooking with herbs, but are worried about having a fridge full of perishable items that may go bad before you have a chance to use them up, check out the Gourmet Garden products, which can be found in the produce section of many grocery stores. They have both lightly dried herbs, as well as stir-in pastes (my favorites!). Basil, ginger, garlic, lemongrass (seriously love this one!)...and the list goes on.

They're really easy to use and each product lists the fresh herb equivalent. For example, 1 tablespoon of the ginger paste can used in place of 1 tablespoon of fresh, minced ginger. Or 1 tablespoon of the chunky garlic paste can be used in place of 1 teaspoon of fresh, minced garlic. Both of these products are used in this chicken curry recipe.

Gourmet Garden has come up with a really helpful Flavor pairing chart that is really handy for cooking all kinds of international dishes.

Spinach-based curries (typically known as saag) are often found on Indian restaurant menus. While it's traditionally served as saag paneer (a firm Indian cheese), I've often ordered it with chicken or lamb as well. Not only is this chicken curry recipe packed with all of the wonderful herbs and spices that you may have come to appreciate in Indian cooking (ginger, garlic, ground coriander, garam masala and turmeric), but it has a punch of fiber, iron and vitamins from the healthy dose of spinach.

And, oh man, is it ever good!

Serve this chicken curry recipe with brown basmati rice, and chutney and raita, if desired. Raita is an easy yogurt and cucumber condiment (great with a sprinkle of coriander and cumin, too).

So, let’s jump right into week 2 of the challenge together, and commit to spicing up our everyday meals by playing with different herbs and spices! We’d love to see your meal ideas on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Just use the hashtag #HealthyNewYear so we can find your photos. You can also tag Liz (@thelemonbowl) and me (@cookincanuck).

Be sure to check out Liz’s Shrimp & Wonton Rice Noodle Soup and her thoughts on going ethnic!

(Several people have asked where I bought the hammered copper serving dishes. I bought them here. I want to serve every meal from them!)

Other healthy ethnic-inspired recipes:

Slow Cooker Hoisin Chicken {Crockpot}
10-Minute Thai Shrimp, Cucumber & Avocado Salad
Chinese Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

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